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New DLC for Dragon Age: Origins this Month

Little is known about Darkspawn Chronicles other than its release date and its price.

BioWare and EA promised gamers they would be playing Dragon Age: Origins for a looong time thanks to a hearty helping of DLC -- not to mention the game's out-of-box playtime of more than 50 hours. And today, Major Nelson tells us the next downloadable Dragon Age dose will be arriving on May 18.

In a simple post outlining the upcoming content in the Xbox Live Marketplace, Xbox Live's Director of Programming Larry Hyrb wrote that Dragon Age: Origins Darkspawn Chronicles is coming in two weeks and will cost 400 Microsoft Points.

No other details were provided in the post, and BioWare and Electronic Arts have yet to make an official announcement of the DLC. So aside from the title, the only thing to go on is the add-on's price. At 400 MS Points, Darkspawn Chronicles is the same price as the Return to Ostagar DLC, released on January 29. Ostagar gave gamers a chance to return to the battlefield where Duncan fell and take revenge on the encamped Darkspawn and pick up the armor and weapons of the dead King.

We'll let you know when we learn more about Darkspawn Chronicles.

UPDATE:Electronic Arts has issued a press release detailing the new DLC. From EA:

For the first time ever, fight as the darkspawn in BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins. In the new downloadable content pack, Dragon Age: Origins Darkspawn Chronicles, players have the chance to experience life on the dark side, playing as the corrupted army of the Blight, enslaved to the will of the Archdemon. In North America, Darkspawn Chronicles will be available for the Xbox 360 videogame system for 400 Microsoft points and PC for 400 BioWare points on May 18th, and on PlayStation Network for $4.99, with its launch date to be announced later.

The Darkspawn Chronicles offers players a look at an alternate history in the Dragon Age universe. Darkspawn Chronicles begins as your character dies during the Joining ceremony, and the Grey Wardens now march under Alistair's command. As a hurlock vanguard, you alone hold the power to make thralls of their fellow darkspawn and drive them into the heat of battle as Denerim burns! This adventure gives you command of genlocks, hurlocks, shrieks, and even the mighty ogres.

Key features include:
--Imagine a world without heroes, where the greatest among you never became a Grey Warden

--Play through the Fall of Denerim from the perspective of the darkspawn

--Complete the module and unlock an epic darkspawn item for use in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening

--Use the "Enthrall" ability to recruit any darkspawn you encounter into your party

Sharkey says: I'll kick off a bit of unfounded speculation and say Darkspawn Chronicles will be an add-on to an add-on. Awakening was a huge expansion, with a new campaign, characters, and abilities. The new DLC's title suggests, to me, we'll get a bit more from Awakening with Darkspawn Chronicles. UPDATE: I could not have been more wrong.